Uneasy Alliances
by Side Quest Publications
Summary: The first "sequel" to Spectres of the Past. Certain members of the Brotherhood contemplate a secret deal with the Dark Legion, all to find a cure for what ails Spectre. The results...are not what they expect.
1. Debt

**I own Jani-Ca and any quasi-anonymous characters, and nobody else.**

**This is, for all purposes, the "sequel" to Spectres of the Past. However, because of the nature of that sequel, it begins with a scene repeated from the end of that story.**

**A couple of minor changes are made to account for adding canon wife Kali-Ka to my story. Nothing major, nothing plot-altering, just a means to let my fanfic coexist with official canon just that little bit more.  
Because I like to torture myself that way. ;)**

* * *

Sojourner crept around in the forest, keeping an eye out for watchers. He was not worried about the Legion catching him. But he was absolutely _terrified_ that his parents would find out.

_They'd ground me until my_ grandchildren _were old and gone if they knew I was out here._

He nudged his power into his room, checking up on his project.

_Perfect._ The plants he'd been studying back home thrived quite well on his energy. He shouldn't even need those emerald shards Mother had given him anymore; the plants should be enough to convince anyone he was still there.

He suppressed the rest of his power, leaving only enough to let him sense his surroundings. It was risky; the fire ants were the ones to teach him that, and they _might_ sense that their lesson was in use. And even the Legion might be able to detect it.

But he'd have to take the chance. It was either that, or give _them_ the chance to hurt his father, change him like they'd changed grandfather.

He curled his lip at what he felt; the cybernetics didn't bother him, and some of the Legionnaires had quite pleasant minds, but the minds of some of the others... He suppressed a shudder.

He crept a little closer to the camp, and frowned. _Something_ felt...wrong. Not wrong like their minds. Wrong like his own parents, like the sicknesses even he had to deal with now and again.

Perfectly normal for most people, but out of place in the Legion. Their cybernetics enhanced them, enhanced even their _health_. And this sickness...

Was doing far more damage than it should have.

He cast out his power in search of the wrongness. Sure enough, one of them was sick. Maybe about his mother's age, _recently_ strong, but fading fast.

_But is that good for us, or bad?_ he wondered.

He crept into the camp to find out.

—

Marin-Da woke from a fevered sleep to see someone leaning over her. _Just another dream,_ she decided.

But the figure had seen her open her eyes, and he clapped a hand over her mouth before she could make a sound.

A startled squeak escaped before she recognized that she was fully awake. "What do you want?" she managed past the intruder's hand.

He held up a hand for silence, and closed his eyes.

She frowned, trying to examine him from her position. He sat next to her bed, and nothing more; other than covering her mouth, he hadn't moved since she'd awakened. What...?

She blinked, then realized that the intruder was quite small. A _child_?

She felt something brush against her mind, and then the intruder opened his eyes and looked at her.

He removed his hand so she could sit up. "How long have you been ill?" he whispered.

_What business is that of yours?_ she thought. She opened her mouth to reply—

_Plenty business,_ he thought back, startling another squeak out of her. _If you hope to get better._

She stared at him. _How did he...?_ He got up to look outside the tent. When he sat back down again, she saw it. The collar ring. "You're a Guardian," she whispered.

It wasn't a question, but he nodded. "In training," he whispered back.

She took another look at him, and frowned. He _was_ a child; he couldn't even be as old as her twins. What was he doing here? In his enemy's camp?

"A little over three weeks," she finally admitted.

"_This_ sick?"

"Yes...no. No, just...tired at first." She blinked. Why was she telling him this? She shook her head. "The next morning, I started to feel...hot. Like I had a fever. And..." She shrugged.

"And you've told no one?" he asked, alarmed. "You've let it go this long without treatment?"

"The Legion has been...busy," she replied, feeling a wave of guilt. _Busy fighting your people._ "I didn't think it was bad enough to bother them. And I doubted any of the locals would be inclined to help out."

"Miss... I'm sorry, there's no nice way to say this, but...you're dying." He shook his head. "I don't know why; it _shouldn't_ be that bad. I've seen people get this virus all the time; it isn't common, but it isn't _dangerous_, either! My friends have had it, and all they had to show for it was a couple of days laid up in bed. But it...it's killing _you_."

Her eyes widened. "Actually, that makes a lot of sense."

"It does?"

She nodded. "This virus...you'd probably been exposed to it as..." She shook her head. _As a kid_, she'd been about to say. "Your people had dealt with it for long enough," she said, neither of them aware that she echoed Spectre's own thoughts. "Your bodies have adapted over time to learn how to fight it, so it _isn't_ dangerous. But the Legion has been holed up in that Zone for...well, it's only been about fifty years or so for us, but if the virus doesn't exist in our Zone, we wouldn't have had the chance to adapt to it like you had."

He stared at her for a long while, and she could see the pain flicker across his expression. She didn't know what to make of it, or what he made of what she'd said.

Finally, he made his decision. "I'll be back soon."

—

A few hours past midnight, Luger was watching his twins help with the patrol.

The radio buzzed in his pocket.

"Yes?"

"_You are Luger?_" an unfamiliar voice asked.

He frowned. "Yes, I am. Who is this?"

"_Luger. The Grandmaster? Marin-Da's husband?_"

"Yes," Luger growled. "Who are you? _How_ did you get this frequency?"

"_You need to come back to camp,_" the voice continued. "_I need to talk to you._"

"Damn it, I _asked_ you—"

"_Marin-Da is very ill. She is trying to be strong, so maybe you didn't know that. But I must ask, is this important to you?_"

Luger's mouth hung open.

"_Is this important to you? Do you want her to feel better? Do you want to see her again...alive?_"

Luger's hand tightened around the radio; he couldn't decide whether to be angry or afraid.

"_Come back to the camp, Luger._" The voice seemed to hesitate. "_Alone, please._"

"I'll be there in half an hour," Luger snapped. "Simon! Keep an eye on them, could you? I have...other business to take care of."

He reached the camp in less than fifteen minutes. He inspected the communication pavilion first, hoping he could catch the speaker off guard.

But the only people in the tent were the Legionnaires on duty...all of them unconscious.

He pulled out his gun and tiptoed to the opening to his and Marin-Da's tent.

He reached slowly, carefully, for the flap and opened it—

"Put your hands on your head," he hissed, touching the gun to the back of the intruder's head. "And step away from my wife."

The intruder complied.

Marin-Da raised an eyebrow. "I told you he wouldn't like that 'see your wife alive' line."

"I wanted him to know it was urgent," the intruder replied. "And it got him here, didn't it?"

It was the same voice as was on the radio, but...

"You're a _kid_?" Luger said, astonished.

The intruder...the _child_...turned to face him. "She's _dying_, Luger. I don't know if you can save her, but I thought you might want the chance to _try_."

Luger blinked, too astonished to realize what the child had said. "You're a _kid_," he repeated. "Who...who are you? Do your parents know you're here?"

"No, they don't," the child replied, "and I'd like to keep it that way. My name's Sojourner."

Luger shook his head.

"Um..." Sojourner scratched his head. "You've probably heard of my father. Aurora knows Spectre's made a name for being vicious."

"Spectre—" Luger cleared his throat. "_Guardian_ Spectre?" What was this child doing here? The Guardians wouldn't resort to using a child as a spy...would they? "You're with the Guardians?"

The child nodded.

"Wait—" Luger frowned. "Guardian Spectre..._Tobor's_ son?"

Sojourner flinched, then nodded.

_Ah,_ that _Guardian. Still doesn't explain why the child's here._

Luger gestured to a chair, and folded his arms. "You were talking about Marin-Da's illness?"

Sojourner nodded, and took the invitation to sit down. He repeated the discussion he'd had with Marin-Da.

And Luger's eyes widened with every word. He looked at his wife. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you were busy," she said, "and I didn't know it was that bad." She flicked her gaze to the child, and the guilt flashed across her face again.

"Boy," Luger said. "Sojourner. You also said something about making her feel better?"

Sojourner pulled off his pack and dug out the bundle of plants he'd been working with. "These are all the mature ones I've got. I...I'd been experimenting with them to help my father. He'd been burned, you see, and his medicine... Well, it helps so he doesn't hurt much, but only for a little while, and he can't always think too clearly when he's on it."

Luger inspected the bundle of plants. "And this will help?"

"I was hoping it would. It should help him think clearly, at least. And after I checked Marin-Da's symptoms, I figured it'd do the same for her."

Luger frowned. Something about what the boy had said didn't sit easily in his mind. "You said your father was burned? Recently?"

Sojourner shook his head. "When he was a child. A little younger than me. Everyone says he should've healed by now, but he hasn't. Nobody knows why."

Luger and Marin-Da exchanged alarmed looks. "Your grandfather must be quite upset," he said in a neutral tone, "that his child is in such pain."

Sojourner shook his head. "My grandmother died in that fire; I think Tobor blames my father for it."

Luger grimaced.

"As...as a _child_?" Marin-Da whispered to Luger. "Tell me he didn't!"

"I wish I could," he whispered back. "But it does seem like the kind of thing he'd do."

Sojourner looked from one to the other, as he tried to figure out what they were talking about.

Luger shook his head. "These plants..." he prompted.

"They won't _cure_ her. She's...um..." He frowned. "It's not that hot here, not to me, but it's hot enough to make it worse. She needs to be some place cold if she's to get better. And I can't even promise that. But those might be enough to make things easier for her." _And that's_ all _I can promise,_ he thought. _You won't be able to cure her; she's been here too long._

"These are your mature plants?" Luger said, hoping to shift the topic to something the boy would find more comfortable. "So you have others? Young plants, or seeds, to experiment with?"

The pain in the boy's eyes was all the answer that he needed.

"I see," Luger said, closing his eyes to hide his reaction. He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly before looking at the child again. "I am in your debt, young Guardian, and that is a position I have never expected to find myself in. I will try to find a way to repay that debt. But if you think of anything I can do, please let me know."

Sojourner nodded.

—

Marin-Da waited until the boy had left before turning to face her husband. "How could you accept those from him? His _father_ needs them—"

"Not as much as you do," Luger replied. He stared at the bundle of plants.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because he wouldn't have given them to us, otherwise." One corner of his mouth twitched. "Someplace cold, huh? I guess...we're going back home, then."

—

Neither the Brotherhood nor city knew what to expect when they converged on the Legion's camp.

But it wasn't what they found.

The Legion fought to defend themselves, but did not press their advantage. Instead, Luger activated a device to open the portal, and the Legion marched through without the slightest sign of resistance.

Luger was the last to go through. He sought out Tobor's gaze, and simply watched him with a smoldering anger.

And the portal closed between them.

—

Thirty years and more had come and gone. Spectre's condition grew worse. When he wasn't in pain, he suffered from hallucinations; when he did not hallucinate, he was in constant pain.

And nobody had a solution. No one but Sojourner's biological mother, it would seem, but nobody was supposed to know about her. Jani-Ca was so careful about that, so happy to let everyone believe that he was _her_ son. Or Kali-Ka's, rather, since the new woman had stepped in and helped to raise him as Jani-Ca faded practically to a wraith.

Either way, Sojourner was not desperate enough to ruin that happiness. Not yet.

He sighed and put down his tools.

"Something wrong?"

He looked up to see Jani-Ca standing over him with a cup of tea. "Oh, hello, mother." He grinned at the look on her face. "I know, I know, I'm supposed to call Kali-Ka 'mother.' And I do... but you're my mother, too." He let her muss up his hair, suppressed a shudder at the hand that was more spirit than flesh these days, accepted the cup before she could drop it, and sipped at the tea, before he finally addressed her original question. "I was just trying to figure out that project Fidelis and I worked on when I was a kid."

She frowned. "Your plants, right? The ones that died when you tried to enhance them?"

Sojourner winced. He hated lying to Jani-Ca, but he didn't want anyone to know how he'd really 'lost' those plants. "Whatever made them," he said, "was an _accident_. I've _tried_, mother, I've been trying ever since. But I haven't been able to make them again."

"It's okay," she whispered, pulling him into an embrace. "It's all right, son. I'm sure we can come up with something else."

"Actually," he said, pulling free of her arms, "I _have_ thought of something else." He picked up a little Emerald from the pile of tools. "I'd been working on...um, portals, and I found a place that _might_ have something useful."

"Want any help?"

He shook his head. "I think I'd better do this one alone."

She lifted one eyebrow. "You don't want a ghost following you around?"

"It wouldn't do me any good to scare everyone off," he replied with a grin. "No, really, though, I just don't know if it will work, mother. And I don't want to get anybody's hopes up." _And the Brotherhood would kill me for even thinking it._

"I'll leave you to it, then." She kissed his forehead and walked out of the workroom.

He picked up the Emerald and his computer, then looked around again to be sure nobody was watching before opening the portal. He took one last look around, and stepped through into the darkness.

—

The first thing that hit him was the cold, and the sheer _emptiness_ of the place.

He felt signs of life off to his left, and turned in that direction to investigate.

And met with an ambush.

The Legion surrounded him and attacked. Every instinct screamed at him to defend himself, but he feared he would ruin everything if he fought them now. He tried to ward off the blows, but he forced himself not to fight back.

And soon, they had him pinned to the ground.

A woman stepped forward and grabbed his hair, jerking his head up to look at her. She smirked. "Well, now. It's not every day we get a Guardian around here," she said. She looked around at the Legion. "What shall we do with him? Shoot him? Skin him? Roast him alive?" Each suggestion met with cheers. She sneered at him. "Or there is that _experiment_ grandfather offered to us..."

Sojourner shuddered. "I need to speak to Luger," he whispered.

She slapped him. "Your people banished us here," she hissed. "What makes you think you have the _right_ to come here? To speak to us now?"

He tried to shake his head. "I have...information for him," he said. "Information he'll want to see."

Her eyebrows shot up, and she released him to investigate the computer. "Password?"

Sojourner shook his head again. "The information," he said, "is for Luger, and Luger alone."

The woman rolled her eyes. "_Fine_," she said. She made a gesture, and one of the Legionnaires clubbed him in the back of the head.

Sojourner saw stars, and then nothing.

—

"-coming around," another woman was saying.

"Guardian?" a male voice said. "Guardian, are you all right?"

Sojourner forced his eyes open. He barely noticed that he was staring at a floor before the light pierced into his brain.

He quickly shut his eyes again and groaned.

The woman's voice chuckled. "Safe to say that's a _no_."

He felt someone turn his head and pry his eyes open. He tried to squint against the light shining directly into them.

"He doesn't _appear_ to have a concussion," the male voice said after a moment. "You can go now, Lien-Da."

"But _father_—" the first female, the one who'd attacked him, protested.

"_Now_, Lien-Da. I can handle this myself."

Sojourner blinked and tried to look around. The woman who'd attacked him earlier shot a suspicious glare at the speakers before storming off.

"I'm really very sorry about this, Guardian," Luger said after Lien-Da had gone. He moved to untie the ropes binding Sojourner's arms and legs before helping the Guardian to his feet. "There was no reason for them to hit you that hard."

"Oh!" Sojourner staggered. "Maybe I should sit down," he mumbled. He dropped back to the floor and held his head for a few minutes. "I—I think I'm...okay...now." He blinked and looked around. "How—how's Marin-Da?"

Luger winced. "She died, Guardian. Only a few weeks after we came back."

"Oh... I'm so sorry. The plants...?"

"Eased her suffering," the woman replied. "But Luger tells me they were not meant as a cure."

Luger forced a smile onto his face. "Oh, yes, where are my manners? Guardian Sojourner, allow me to introduce my consort, Mari-Su."

Sojourner acknowledged her with a nod.

"But you didn't come here to discuss my late wife," Luger said. "Can I assume this is about my debt?"

"Please, sir," Sojourner replied, closing his eyes against the tears. "You owe me nothing. I wasn't able to save her. But I thought—I thought...maybe, if we made a deal—"

"Nonsense," Luger said quietly. "You tried to help her, Guardian. You gave up a great deal to ease her suffering. I owe you for _that_, at least. I owe your father for your sacrifice." _And for what _mine_ did to him._

"If you say so," Sojourner muttered. "As it happens, my father is why I'm here." He pulled the computer towards him, opened up the files, and pushed it back towards Luger.

Luger tapped a few keys, skimming through the file. He lifted one eyebrow and looked at Sojourner. "These are medical records."

Sojourner nodded. "Everything I've found on him since the fire, until now."

Luger continued to skim through the documents, his frown deepening as each page went by. "He is still in pain? His medicine still makes him...hallucinate?"

"Yes, sir. He still suffers from hallucinations, but...I don't think he's taking his medicine, anymore. Either that, or the pain is a lot worse than it used to be." Sojourner choked back a sob. "Everything is about his pain, now. He needs the medicine 'cause he hurts so much, but the _medicine_ makes him see things, and it spooks him, and when he gets spooked, his power goes weird, and he starts hurting _worse_, and... I just don't know what to do anymore."

"Forgive me, Guardian, but I'm not entirely certain what you expect me to do." Luger shrugged. "I know what _I_ would do with this, but I just don't see your Brotherhood accepting our cybernetics that easily. Not even for this worthy cause."

"I know," Sojourner whispered. "But I was hoping..."

"Does it have to be cybernetics?" Mari-Su asked.

Luger and Sojourner only blinked at her.

She rolled her eyes at their blank expressions. She peered over Luger's shoulder at the files. "A lot of the damage could be taken care of with skin grafts, correct?" Sojourner nodded carefully. "And the Brotherhood would not object to...prosthetics? I mean, suppose you'd lost an arm. Surely your people would not expect you to live out your life that way."

"No," Sojourner replied. "But it isn't enough. They've tried prosthetics and grafts; none of it is any better than that survival suit the chameleons gave us." Luger stiffened, but Sojourner was too caught up in his grief to notice. "And all _that's_ good for is protecting him from more harm. It doesn't make him any better. It doesn't help him heal. The only time he _isn't_ in pain is when he can't feel _anything_ at all!"

Mari-Su nodded. "I'm thinking...nerve damage? So you'll need something more than simple prosthetics. Grafts that we can wire into the nervous system, maybe?"

"Maybe," Luger said. "But without cybernetics?"

"Maybe not...exactly," she replied. "But that Nocturnus refugee has been working with organics. She might have a few ideas that are less obvious than what we're used to. Something the Brotherhood might accept, or maybe won't even notice."

Luger snorted. "Assuming you can pry her away from Kragok long enough," he muttered. "I swear, she practically _worships_ him, when it should really be the other way around." He tapped a few more keys and scowled at the computer. "Go talk to her."

"That won't do any good," Sojourner interrupted. When Mari-Su stopped, and she and Luger looked at him, he swallowed and clarified. "My own mother," he said, referring to Kali-Ka, "is a trained healer. She's tried the sort of grafts you want. It doesn't do any good."

"That may be, but I expect Kali-Ka's teacher hasn't taught her everything," Luger said. He chuckled at the shock on Sojourner's face. "Oh come now, you must've known she was one of mine, even without the cybernetics. Who do you think asked her to look in on your people?"

"Er..." Sojourner frowned. He _had_ known; Kali-Ka's siblings, technomages both, made no secret of the fact that they were former Legionnaires. It was only logical to assume that Kali-Ka was, as well... except that she was careful not to let on that she was their sister. Not to mention... "But that was... before we met..."

Luger shook his head. "Your people and mine have been enemies for a long time," he said, "but there are some things I will not stand for. After I'd learned of certain of my father's experiments, I thought a little damage control was in order. I'd chosen Kali-Ka and her siblings, because I needed someone who could sneak out from under my father's eye, someone he had yet to indoctrinate. Ah, speaking of which," he said, turning back towards Mari-Su, "see if you can't get your mitts on my father's... guests. I've a few questions they might be able to answer, as well."

She nodded. Luger copied the files, then pushed the computer back to Sojourner. "I promise you nothing, Guardian," he said, folding his hands together. "Surely you've noticed that time flows differently between our two worlds." Sojourner nodded. "Even if we _found_ a solution, that difference may prove crucial."

"I know," Sojourner whispered.

"And we could hardly expect to bring your father here. Even were it not for the lack of wisdom at bringing him into enemy territory, this environment would be difficult for him, just as your environment has proven difficult for us."

Sojourner nodded. He made no move to wipe away the tears that rolled down his cheeks.

Luger leaned back and looked at the boy. _Nearly my age, now, yet I cannot see him as other than the child I met not ten years past._ He stood up to rummage in a cabinet, and tossed a device at Sojourner. "I have a few other things I'd like to look into, Guardian. I'll contact you when we have your answer."

"Thank you."


	2. Plea for Help

**I own...huh. I don't think I own anyone in this chapter.**

**The events in the first half of this chapter make it more "alternate universe" than fanfiction naturally becomes, simply because of the **_**timing**_** of those events.  
At least if Archie ever tells us when those events really occurred.**

**Speaking of timing, the beginning of the second half (when Janelle-Li sneaks off) takes places **_**before**_** the previous section, with the rest of it taking place after.**

* * *

Another generation joined the Brotherhood; another generation took over as Guardian.

And soon, it was time for Janelle-Li to begin her training.

Thunderhawk took his daughter to bond with the Master Emerald, and tried to ignore Grandfather Spectre watching them. Grandfather Tobor had told him a little of what had happened during Spectre's tenure, and he could not help but be nervous with that one so near to the Emerald.

But Father and grandmother insisted that they had no other way to understand Spectre's problem, no other way to find a cure.

Tobor scowled as he watched the child approach the Emerald. He'd anticipated that the Brotherhood would want to watch the spook, so he'd come out several times earlier, putting cracks in the Emerald. He couldn't strike now, but with the Emerald's power reacting when the spook was near, _something_ should happen.

And who would take the blame but the spook himself?

Tobor glanced quickly at the spook, to see him staring off into space again. He smiled. _Who, indeed?_

Spectre stood well away from the Emerald. He was shaking, staring at nothing again. His power flared around him in response to the Emerald's power.

Harlan noticed his discomfort and moved quickly to try to calm him down before he could scare everyone off. The oldest Guardian nodded to Thunderhawk, and the younger Guardian gestured for Janelle-Li to touch the Emerald.

Spectre gave a strangled cry...

And the power exploded.

—

"Is—" Rembrandt started coughing, and had to try again. "Is everyone okay?"

"I'm good...I think," Hawking replied.

"Same here," Mathias added.

_I've been better,_ Harlan called from where the blast had thrown him. _Spectre looks a bit spooked, but he doesn't seem hurt._

"The fire ants got me and Grandfather Jordan," Sojourner called from outside. "Thunderhawk and Janelle-Li are here, too, but I think she's a little dazed." A pause. "Tobor may need medical attention."

"Spectre?" Jordan called out. "Grandfather Harlan?"

Harlan blinked. He'd already answered. _We're in_ here_!_

There was a rush as Sojourner and Jordan made their way back into the chamber.

"Spectre?" Jordan called again.

"Father—" Sojourner leaned over to peer at Spectre.

Jordan tried to peer through the smoke. "Grandfather Harlan?" he called.

_Are you _deaf_?_ Harlan growled, moving towards them. Spectre tracked his movements, but nobody else seemed to notice. _I _said_ I'm right—oh,_ he finished in a faint voice, staring at the still form on the floor.

It was his own body.

Someone behind him placed a hand on his shoulder. _I'm sorry, son._

Harlan turned to see Moonwatcher. And behind him were Aaron and Steppenwolf.

_We tried to prevent this,_ Moonwatcher continued, nodding towards Spectre, _but I'm afraid we may have _caused_ it, instead._

_Spectre did this?_ Harlan whispered. He shook his head. _Tobor was right; we never should have trained him. We never should have let him join the Guardians. Tobor knew this would happen._

_Any damn fool can make all the predictions he wants,_ Steppenwolf snarled. _It doesn't take a _seer_ to make them come true!_

Harlan blinked. Make_ them come true?_ he echoed. _What are you talking about?_

_What?_ Steppenwolf snapped. _Did you honestly think everything that boy suffered was an_ accident_?_

Harlan stared at his ancestor. Steppenwolf couldn't possibly be suggesting... _But Tobor would _never_ harm Spectre! Not on purpose!_

Steppenwolf opened his mouth to snarl at Harlan again, when Aaron stepped between them. _Grandfather, _enough_. Spectre can still see us._

Steppenwolf glanced over to see Spectre staring at them, cowering away from Steppenwolf's anger.

_You're right, Grandfather Harlan,_ Aaron said quietly. _You're absolutely right. Tobor would _not_ harm Spectre._ He met Harlan's eyes before continuing. _But Moritori Rex_ would_._

—

The Brotherhood filed back outside before Thunderhawk rounded on Spectre. "You _murdered_ him!" Thunderhawk snarled.

Spectre jerked back as if the younger Guardian had hit him. "I—I never meant to—" He didn't even bother looking to the others for help. Sojourner looked at him with pity, Tobor's eyes were ruined, and the others kept their expressions carefully neutral.

"Never _meant_ to, my ass!" Thunderhawk said. Tobor hid a smirk. "You knew perfectly well your power is out of control. You _knew_ how dangerous it was to be near the Emerald! But that doesn't stop you, now, does it? What next, grandfather? Who will you hurt next time? Your son? Me? My daughter?"

"Stop it, stop it, _stop_ it!" Janelle-Li yelled, running in and wrapping her arms around Spectre. "Stop being so _mean_ to him! He didn't mean to hurt anyone. He _wouldn't_ have hurt anyone if you and grandpa Tobor weren't always hurting _him_!"

Thunderhawk blinked, briefly distracted from his anger. "Child—"

"_No_!" she shrieked.

Thunderhawk tried again. "Janelle-Li, none of us have ever laid a hand on him, nor raised our power against him. We—"

"You never hurt his _body_," she said. "But you'd been hurting him...inside. In here," she said, placing her hand over her heart. "Grandpa Tobor always hurts him there, and nobody's tried to stop it. And then you started hurting him." Tears streamed down her face. "The hurt _had_ to come out; he couldn't stop it." She twisted to peer up at Spectre. "Could you, grandfather?"

Spectre stared at her with a blank look.

_Finally,_ Aaron muttered. _A voice of _reason_._

Moonwatcher snickered. _Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings, grandson. Out of the mouths of babes._

_I don't understand,_ Harlan said. _If you knew what Tobor—what Moritori Rex was doing, couldn't you have stopped it? Or warned us, somehow?_

Steppenwolf shook his head. _None of you could see us. None except Spectre, and_ him_ only because his first encounter with the Chaos Force all but blasted him open. And we'd only been telling_ him_ since he woke up after the fire._

Harlan frowned. _Then why didn't_ Spectre_—?_

The look Steppenwolf gave him was mildly amused. _Between his sickness after the fire, and his medication, it was perfectly natural to assume that he'd suffer hallucinations for a time._

_And no way to know that they _weren't_,_ Harlan said, grimacing. _And because he keeps seeing you lot—_

_And now you,_ Moonwatcher added.

Harlan nodded. _He thinks he's _still_ hallucinating,_ he continued.

_And what that chameleon did only made the problem worse,_ Steppenwolf replied.

Harlan's shoulders slumped. _Isn't there _anything_ we can do?_

_Keep watching them,_ Steppenwolf replied. _Look for an opening, keep trying to get through to him. Back off _before_ he kills someone,_ he muttered. _If you come up with something better, I'd be glad to hear it._

—

Rembrandt and Jordan eventually died in their own time, of natural causes. They joined Steppenwolf and the others, and soon learned the truth about Spectre's abilities...and Moritori Rex's deception.

But Spectre was still the only one who knew they were around.

And not one had a solution.

—

Janelle-Li waited until she was sure her father was asleep before creeping out.

She pulled out the little Emerald she'd swiped from grandfather Sojourner's lab, and recited the instructions grandmother Jani-Ca had given her.

The portal opened up into darkness.

She took one look around before stepping through.

—

"Now, this is a surprise," a male said.

Janelle-Li jumped, and whirled to face the speaker. But the man did not move to strike, and she lowered her fists. "He—hello, sir. I'm here to talk to Luger."

"That would be me," he replied. "Please, come this way." He led her through a warehouse and into an office, and gestured for her to take a seat before finding one for himself.

"You're nicer than I expected," she muttered.

Luger chuckled. "Not all of us are the monsters you Guardians have fought. Just _most_ of us." He folded his hands. "So what can I do for you, child?"

"It's—Janelle-Li," she said.

"Janelle-Li," he repeated.

She hesitated. "One of our people died about a month ago," she began.

His face fell. "It wasn't Guardian Spectre, was it?"

"What? No. Why would you think that?"

He shook his head. "I have my reasons. Go on."

"Grandfather Spectre has been seeing things, and it scares him. And when papa wanted to start training me, something went weird. Grandfather Spectre's power went all over, and it hit Grandfather Harlan, and..." She shrugged.

Luger frowned. "Forgive me for saying so, but I am not certain why you have come to me with this. You _do_ understand that your people and mine have been enemies for some time...?"

She nodded. "Yes, but grandmother Jani-Ca said—" She looked around guiltily, and lowered her voice. "She said she thinks grandfather Sojourner's talked to you, and that you wanted to help."

"Did she, now?" he muttered. "I wonder how she would know about that? I understood that Sojourner was not willing to tell _anyone_."

"He didn't," Janelle-Li said. "Grandmother said she saw it in a dream."

"Too bad she didn't see more than that," Luger growled.

"Actually, she did. Only she said she can't make sense of it, and she thinks you could help." Janelle-Li's lower lip started to tremble. "Mr. Luger, please, _can't_ you do something? I'll do anything you ask—"

"No, child. You will owe me nothing." Luger's frowned deepened until the wrinkles on his forehead touched his muzzle. "Dreams, you say? And Spectre is...seeing things." Janelle-Li nodded. "There might be a way to take care of both problems at once. Yes, I believe I have just the thing."

He stood up and rummaged through a filing cabinet until he found the document he wanted. "One of our members claims to have such visions that she can barely tell reality from her dreams anymore. She had fashioned this device to help her analyze them."

Janelle-Li looked over the schematics. "It might take some work..." she muttered.

Luger nodded. "No doubt. But I'm sure someone as bright as you could manage it. And with a little modification, it _might_ even do the trick for your grandfather's hallucinations."

—

Janelle-Li worked on the device every spare moment of her training. It took a long time to fashion, and longer still to modify for her purposes; too many of the parts and features depended on the Legion's cybernetics, and she found herself constantly revising the schematics to compensate.

Necessity forced her to set it aside when Thunderhawk returned to Haven, and then after she began training Athair. But soon it became time for her son to take over as Guardian, and she returned to the project the instant she returned to Haven.

Thunderhawk remarked frequently over how much time she spent on that project, but she refused to put it down again until it was completed. When the Ancient Walkers appeared to bring Athair to the Lost Tribe, she continued to work on it, even allowing her health to slide in favor of her responsibilities as Guardian.

And finally, decades after she had begun, she had a product she was satisfied with.

"You called me, child?" Spectre asked, looking in her little hut.

"Yes, grandfather." She held up the device. "Jani-Ca and I had been talking about...things, and I think this could help you with your hallucinations."

He winced. "Help _how_, exactly?"

"Well, Deo was saying that you might remember some things that happened, only your memories are all muddled up with the hallucinations." She gestured with the device. "This is supposed to help you separate them, analyze them so you can see what's a true memory and what isn't."

Spectre blinked. "Is it, now? And where did you come up with an idea like that?"

She didn't even bat an eye. "A dream," she replied.

He folded his arms. "And suppose I don't remember something. How would it work, then?"

"It shouldn't matter," Janelle-Li replied. "All it needs is for the memory to exist in your subconscious. That's how it works, you see, by deciding whether the memory was made by your mind, or if it's sensory."

_Maybe this will make him see that we're real,_ Aaron said.

_Maybe,_ Steppenwolf replied. _Maybe not. It's telepathy that lets us talk to him; it'd be our luck the damn machine would see that as being made in his own head._ But he didn't quite keep the hope out of his tone. If that machine could show Spectre that truth—even if that's _all_ the machine did—that would be far more than they had.

_As long as he doesn't decide the machine's wrong,_ Jordan muttered.

"Grandfather," Janelle-Li said. "Please?"

Spectre sighed. "Fine. I don't see how it could make things any worse."

She grinned, and adjusted the settings on the device before he put it on. "Let's start with something easy. Something recent. Say...the last ten minutes?"

It took only a moment to extract the memory, and when the machine analyzed it, they found details that Spectre hadn't even been aware of in the first place.

"Now, this is interesting," Janelle-Li said after reviewing the analysis. "You've been seeing things lately? Hearing voices? Like some of our ancestors?"

He nodded.

"According to this," she said, "those are true memories. You've been seeing them for real."

Spectre blinked. "For real? Is that possible? But then, how does no one else see them?"

She shrugged. "It doesn't tell me that. Only that you're really seeing them."

"If they're real," he muttered, "then what about the things they've said? About my father?"

"About that..." She frowned. "Who's Moritori Rex?"

Spectre shook his head. "I don't know."

Spectre left her to continue analyzing the recording. After he walked out the door, she turned to look hard at a blank wall. "According to these recordings," she addressed the wall, "my ancestors aren't the _only_ things he's been seeing."

"I guess there's no more point in hiding," the chameleon said, allowing himself to appear.

Janelle-Li folded her arms and waited.

"My Master would like a copy of the schematics," he said. "And any recordings or analyses, if it is not too much trouble."

"Why?"

The chameleon chuckled nervously. But Janelle-Li refused to budge, until he finally told her about his clan's interest in the Guardians...and in Spectre especially.


	3. End of an Alliance

**I own...nobody? Oh, except quasi-anonymous characters.**

**Lark Ascending (chapter 1)—and anyone else who might ask the same question: According to the Mobius Encyclopedia (archiesonic dot wikia dot com), the answer is yes. I quote exactly as posted:  
"Her name is derived from the term "Mary Sue", which fits Lien-Da's view of her as a sickeningly perfect being."  
The article didn't have much more information than that, but then, she didn't have a long role in the comics. Just a few flashbacks in three issues, that I know of.**

* * *

It was difficult, but Janelle-Li finally managed to convince Spectre to agree to regular sessions. She tried to pick random days to analyze, in the hopes that he would not become _too_ uncomfortable with the idea. The task proved more difficult than she'd expected, as she required _events_ for grandfather to relate to the machine rather than dates.

Grandmother Jani-Ca gladly volunteered specific days and events that might be of use. The chameleons tried to help as well, with her own watcher volunteering information from their records. The clan also found a solution to Spectre's growing madness, only to learn that the damage he'd already suffered proved permanent.

In return, the clan fashioned a copy of the device for further analysis. It proved difficult for them, however; they could copy the recordings Janelle-Li made, but the machine was designed to read echidna brainwaves, and adapting it for the chameleons to analyze took time.

But slowly, they began to piece together more coherent memories. And the analyses showed that Spectre had rarely hallucinated at all. He had, occasionally, enough that Janelle-Li was confident that the machine worked. But so many times, he saw things or heard voices because he was simply more sensitive than the rest of them.

"Just one more," Janelle-Li said, several years in to the project.

"Granddaughter," Spectre said, "you are weary. _I_ may not be reliving these events, but it is taking its toll on you. You need to _rest_."

"Just one more," Janelle-Li pleaded again. "One more memory. Then we can stop for today."

Spectre grimaced. "One more recording," he finally agreed. "A recording _only_. You can wait until tomorrow to analyze it."

"All right." She named a date, and his eyes flew wide open.

She had named the night of the fire.

"Why...that particular date?" he asked.

"From what I've seen," she replied, "_everything_ you've suffered, one way or another, comes down to that night." He squeezed his eyes shut. "Grandfather, _please_. This could prove your innocence."

"And if it proves my guilt?"

She bit her lip before she could snap at him. "_If_ it does," she said slowly, "then we'll deal it with it then. Not before."

Spectre was silent.

"Grandfather?"

He took a deep breath, and let out a long sigh. "All right."

Janelle-Li smiled. She set the machine for the memory she wanted, and within an hour, she had it.

When the machine was turned off, Spectre had to blink several times before he could keep his eyes open. "I should...probably go," he said.

"Oh! Of course, it's getting late." Janelle-Li held out her hand to let him pull himself up.

Semper Fidelis hopped up onto his shoulder, but before he left, Spectre turned back to Janelle-Li. "Remember what I said, child. _Tomorrow_. The analysis can wait."

"Yes, grandfather."

"Good girl." Spectre removed his helmet to kiss her on the forehead before Fidelis teleported him back to Haven.

Janelle-Li got herself ready for bed, but when she finally lay down, she found she couldn't sleep. She stared at the ceiling for a solid hour before walking out to the lab and setting up the machine again. "This won't take long," she thought out loud. "Surely one more analysis won't cut into my sleep that much."

She positioned the visor over her face before she played back the recording.

The images shot into her brain in less time than it took to blink. She removed the visor, slowly, to avoid dropping it.

She gripped the side of her desk and slowly lowered herself to the ground, unwilling to stand any longer on her shaking legs.

"My lady," the chameleon whispered. "Are you all right?"

Janelle-Li glanced at the readout. Surely not? That must have been a hallucination...mustn't it?

But the device showed it a true memory.

_Tobor..._murdered_ Voni-Ca? He tried to murder Spectre?_

"So how's that project coming along?" a voice said from the doorway.

Janelle-Li jerked to her feet and whirled around to face...Tobor.

—

Spectre woke, but the scream of terror still sounded in his head. He tried to close his mind to the voices, but they grew louder and more persistent.

_Will you get the hell out there,_ Steppenwolf screamed, _and _tell_ them already!_

Spectre staggered to his feet and out of the steam room.

"Father—" Sojourner said. "Father, what's wrong?"

"Janelle-Li," Spectre gasped. "She's—she's being attacked. She's calling for help! We have to _save_ her!" He fell to his knees.

"Father!" Sojourner rushed to Spectre's side. "Thunderhawk, go check on her."

Thunderhawk snorted. "You're not serious? The man is _insane_, and Janelle-Li grows sicker every time she involves him in that project of hers! He doesn't _need_ either of you to _encourage_ his madness!"

"No, what my father _needs_ is something to calm him down," Sojourner growled. "And right now, that's _not_ going to happen, until he sees that _your_ daughter is safe. Now are you going to check on her, or not?"

Thunderhawk rolled his eyes and muttered something about a padded room. "Fine. Fidelis..."

Semper Fidelis teleported Thunderhawk out of Haven.

"Come on, father," Sojourner said, "let's get you back to bed. Janelle-Li will be just fine; Thunderhawk will see to that."

Spectre resisted, but Sojourner finally convinced him to take his medicine, and left him in an uneasy doze back inside the steam room.

Five minutes passed before Thunderhawk's anguished cry reached their minds.

Thunderhawk returned within the hour, his face empty and Janelle-Li unconscious in his arms. Hawking rushed forward to catch her before Thunderhawk collapsed.

"Grandfather?" Sojourner said, staring at Janelle-Li. "Grandfather, is she all right?"

"I'm—I'm not certain," Hawking said.

They brought her into the sick bay, to discover that she was in a coma. And she would probably never awaken.

"What of her project?" Deo muttered.

"The device was smashed when we arrived," Fidelis replied. "And the plans were destroyed."

"The chameleon might know what happened," Deo said.

Fidelis shook his head. "Her watcher is dead," he managed through his tears.

Deo gasped. "Like Vahti?" he asked, referring to Kancho's old partner. "He took the blow?"

"I don't think so," Fidelis replied. "His body looked like it was thrown aside, out of the way. To make sure no one would trip over him."

"Do you know what you're suggesting?" Deo muttered.

Fidelis nodded. "Whoever attacked Janelle-Li knew about the chameleons."

—

Sojourner paced outside of the steam room, waiting to hear word of his granddaughter's condition.

His pocket buzzed. He jumped, only to realize it was the device Luger had given him long ago. "Yes?" he rasped into the receiver.

"_Is this Guardian Sojourner?_" a voice asked.

"Speaking."

"_I am Grandmaster Kragok. Luger's son. I understand you've had certain...arrangements with my father?_"

Sojourner frowned. Had Luger told his people...? "This is...true," he said, hesitantly.

"_My father is dead, Guardian. Killed while looking into the project you gave him._"

Sojourner closed his eyes against a new threat of tears. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"_Don't be. He was a soft-hearted fool, and the Legion is better off now that I'm in charge._"

Sojourner's eyes snapped open. "Why are you calling me?"

The voice chuckled. The sound sent shivers down Sojourner's spine for no reason he could identify. "_To remind you that your people and mine are _enemies_, Guardian. We always have been, and always will be. But I am willing to make a deal with you._"

Sojourner swallowed. "What...what kind of deal?"

"_I'm looking at a set of medical records that you gave my father._" The voice chuckled again. "_I don't think you realize just what we could do with this information. But the deal is this: I will...file these records away, lose them somewhere, so that my people cannot..._easily_...take advantage of the edge you have so naively offered us. In return, _you_ forget that you ever spoke to Luger._"

"I understand," Sojourner whispered.

"_Goodbye, enemy mine. I look forward to terminating you._" Kragok switched off the connection.

Sojourner crushed the little receiver in has hand and threw it against the wall with a scream. He sank to the floor and wrapped his arms around his legs, and began to sob into his arms.

**

* * *

Wow. That was...short. Wonder if I **_**should**_** have just tacked these on to the end of "Spectres", instead of making a separate story?  
*shrug*  
Eh, whatever.**

**The next "story," the absolute ending to "Spectres of the Past" (and the beginning to a few other stories, which is why **_**it**_** will be posted separately) will be even shorter.**


End file.
